Dehydrator



Nov. 26, 1929'. F. C. CHAPMAN DEHYDR AT OR Filed July 2, 1928 2 Sheet-Sheet R O T N E v m C ("b (gain an ATTORNEY Nov. 26, 1929. F. c. CHAPMAN 1,737,533

' DEHYDRAT OR Filed July 2, 1928 Z Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR E C'Chagoman BY Q .QAASEZ.

ATTORNEY ldatented Nov. 26, 192$ warren srarns ht tt fidd raraar errrcn FRANK C. CHAPMAN, F MODESTO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNQR T0 CHAPMAN DE- HYDRATER COMPANY, OF MODESTO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION nnnynnaron Application filed July 2, 1928. Serial No. 289,742.

This invention relates to improvements in dehydrators and particularly to one of that type shownin my Patent No. 1,645,738, dated Uctober 18, 1927; the principal object of the present invention being to adapt such dehydrator for drying cotton.

The drying of cotton entails the solution of difierent problems from what are met with in drying fruit and similar products, on account of the radically different nature of cotton from these others. on shallow trays which are staggered in spaced order and it is only necessary to direct the drying air horizontally between the trays,

since the interstices naturally formed between the individual fruits allow free upward circulation of the air. Cotton, however especially when clamp, is naturally dense and air must be forced through rather than merely 2g passed over the exposed surface of the same if drying to any depth is to be attained. Also it is not practical to place the cotton in shallow trays as is done with fruit.

With my improved dehydrator,however all these problems have been met and solved in a highly eficient and satisfactory manner, as

T have demonstrated from actual practice,

and without materially increasing the cost of the dehydrator over what was necessary in connection with the handling of fruit.

The objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the fol lowing specification and claims.

linthe drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views Fig. 1 is a plan view in section of my improved dehydrator showing the cotton carriers arranged therein in operative order.

Fig. 2 is afragmentary longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

F Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of ig. 1. Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the

numeral 1 denotes the drying chamber of the dehydrator which in'this instance consists of an elongated tunnel 1 having a central track 2 on which the cars or trucks 3, carry- The fruit is laiding the material to be dried, are successively advanced through the tunnel. Directly at each end of the tunnel are two doors 4, preferably opening by sliding them vertically.

Extending along one side of the tunnel and communicating at both ends therewith is a return flue 5, opening into an air mixing room 6. A. hot air furnace 7 of any suitable type discharges directly into the room 6, which room is also connected with the intake of a 5 blower 8. The outlet of this blower communicates with a fine 9 positioned to discharge into the tunnel at the bottom and approximately centrally of the length thereof. The above features may be and preferably as are the same as'shown in the aforementioned patent, the arrangement of these parts not being disturbed.

. Each truck 3 is arranged to carry at least one transversely spaced pair of foraminous m receptacles such as wire net baskets 10 to re-' ceive the cotton to be dried. These receptacles extend almost to the roof of the tunnel and when filled with cotton, felt pads 11 or the like are placed over the tops of the baskets to make a substantially air-tight fit with the room of the tunnel. The trucks and receptacles are arranged in continuous longitudinally abutting relation both ahead of and beyond the fine or air inlet 9, the plane of said inlet being 8Q always left clear as shown in said previous patent and for the same purpose. The receptacles are spaced from the side walls of the tunnel so as to form continuous air passages 12 with said walls, whlle a con 35 tra-l aisle or passage 13 is formed along the trucks by the transversely separated pairs of receptacles. The head ends of both central passages are sealed in a substantially airti ht manner by air stops or bulk heads 14 no w ich depend from the roof of the tunnel to the truck floor and are of a width to permlt the trucks and receptacles to move the'repast.

Similar bulk heads or air stops 15 extend from the roof to the floor of the tunnel across 5 the rear ends of both sets of side passages 12, and are of course arranged to have a substantially airtight fit with the sides of the receptacles and trucks.

By reason of the operation of the fan and 1.00

arrangement of the'flues and passages, it will be seen that air entering the tunnel through the flue 9 is drawn by the return suction of the blower to both ends of the tunnel in order to enter the return flue 5. Since of the sets of passages ahead of the inlet, the side ones are closed at the rear and the central one is closed at the front, the air can'only reach said return flue 5 (with which the side passages communicate at the head end of the tunnel by passing through the central passage an transversely through the cotton in the receptacles, from the inner or adjacent sides ofsuch receptacles. On the other hand air moving toward the rear end of the tunnel cannot directly enter the central passage (which at its rear end is in communication with the adjacent end of the return flue 5) but must pass along the side passages 12 (which are closed to the flue 5) and then transversely through the receptacles and cotton to reach the central passage. Such movement of the air is from the opposite or outer faces of the receptacles toward the inner faces thereof-which is the reverse of the direction of flow of air through the cotton ahead of the intake.

The cotton during its passage through the tunnel is therefore exposed to a rying action from both sides so that by theftime it is discharged it is effectively dried throughout its bulk. Owing to the density of cotton and the consequent resistance to the passage of air throughthe same, it is necessary to seal as much as ossible all openings through which air miglit pass without passing through the cotton. The pads 11 form the necessary seal at the top of the tunnel, the bulk heads make as close a fit as possible with the sides of the receptacles and trucks, while skirts 16 depend all around the latter to a point as close to the tracks and floor as is possible. Also it is to be understood that the receptacles on the different trucks abut closely against" each'other so that no air passage cracks are formed between adjacent receptacles.

It is desired to advance the trucks inter- I mittently through the tunnel so as to provide a continuous drying operation, and at the same time cause each truck as advanped to move across the intake, while maintaining the lines of the trucks ahead of and beyond the intake arranged in closely abutting order for the purpose above stated. The same truck advancing structure is therefore employed as was described and claimed in the previous patent.

Essentially this structure comprises a cable 17 extending lengthwise of the tunnel between the tracks and having a bar 18 intermediate its ends and located adjacent the plane of the inlet 9. Mounted on this bar is an upwardly and rearwardly facing spring pressed pawl-bar 19 adapted to engage lugs the space between adjacent trucks. at the intake. Therefore, when shifting the trucks in the tunnel the cable is first pulled ahead a distance equal to the length of one truck plus the space between the trucks at the inlet, and is then hooked on to said outside truck. The pawl-bar 19 then automatically engages the lug of the truck just ahead of the inlet, and

upon the cable being then pulled rearwardly, said truck is moved across the inlet, leaving the other cars ahead of the inlet stationary until the truck outside abuts against and pushes the head row of trucks rearwardly a truck length, or so that the-head row will be positioned the same as was previously the case. The space over the inlet is therefore always maintained clear to allow of an unrestricted flow of air to pass into the longitudinal tunnel passages, and all cotton will be subjected to the same intensities of heat and for the same length of time during its movement through the tunnel. While this specification describes the apparatus as particularly intended for'drying cotton, it is obvious that it may be used with equal success for other produce such as nuts, copra, hay and the like.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a de vice as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forthin detailthe ,present and preferred construction of'the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail'may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: f

1. A drier including a tunnel having a hot air inlet intermediate its ends, means for spacing the material across the plane of the inlet as said material is moved through the tunnel, means for causing the air to travel fromthe inlet toward both ends ofthe tunnel, and means for causing the air thus moving to pass through the-material in continuously opposed transverse directions on opposite sides of the inlet.

2. A drier including a tunnel having a hot air inlet intermediate its ends, means for advancing the material to be dried through the tunnel and causing said material in its ad- Vance to skip across the inlet to continuously iac such movement to pass transversely of the tunnel through the material ahead of the inlet in one direction and through thematerial beyond theinlet in the opposlte transverse direction.

3. A drier including a tunnel having a hot air inlet intermediate its ends, means for arvancing the material to be dried through the tunnel and causing said material in its advance to skip across the inlet to continuously leave a free open space in the tunnel adjacent the inlet, longitudinal passages in the tunnel on both sides of the material; the latter form ing the dividing wall between the passages, closure means for one passage directly be yond the inlet, and also at the head end of the tunnel, closure means for the other passage just ahead of the inlet and also at the rear end of the tunnel, and means for causing the air entering the tunnel at the inlet to travel toward both ends of the tunnel.

4. In combination, a drier including a tunnel having a hot air inletintermediate its ends, material carriers movablethrough the tunnel and including foraminous receptacles extending to. the room of the tunnel but spaced from the sides thereof to form longitudinal passages therewith, said receptacles being arranged in longitudinally abutting relation except in the plane of the inlet, means for advancing the carriers through the tunnel and causing them to skip across the inlet, means for causing air entering the tunnel at the inlet to move toward the ends of the tunnel, and closure means for the passages arranged to cause the air to pass transf versely of the tunnel through the receptacles ahead of the inlet from one passage to the other in one direction only, and transversely of the tunnel through the receptacles beyond the inlet but in the reverse direction.

5. A drier including a tunnel having a hot air inlet intermediate its ends, means for advancing the material to be dried through the tunnel and causing said material in its advance to skip across the inlet to continuously leave a free open space in the tunnel adjacent the inlet, longitudinal passages in the tunnel on both sides of the material; the latter forming one Wall of the passage, means for causing air to move from the inlet toward the ends of the tunnel, and closure 'means for the passages arranged to cause the'air to move transversely of the tunnel through the material between the passages and ahead of the inlet in one direction only, and transversely of the tunnel but in the reverse direction only through the material beyond the inlet.

6. In a drier'which includes va tunnel having a hot air inlet intermediate its ends, trucks movable along the tunnel, a pair of foraminous material receptacles mounted on each truck and disposed in spaced relation to each other and to the side walls of the tunnel but extending to the roof thereof; said 

